This invention relates to the field of automatic testing of electronic printed circuit boards. This invention relates more particularly to the test fixtures used in automatic test systems designed for the testing of electronic printed circuit boards.
This invention relates to the test fixtures for the automatic testing of electronic printed circuit boards that are interchangeable for variously configured printed circuit boards.
This invention further relates to a fixture for testing printed circuit boards in which a test head interface part wired for a particular board may be easily removed and replaced with another test head wired for another printed circuit board to be later tested.
In the prior art, printed circuit board testers have embodied complete fixtures that do not lend themselves to easy handling particularly when the fixtures are loaded onto the testing circuit base. For example, loading devices as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,970,934 are difficult for an inexperienced person to use and many are arranged to accept only a board such as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,169,207 so that the complete device is in use for a time period longer than necessary. The use of test head interface assemblies that can be preloaded and then placed on a testing base, will increase productivity.
In the present invention the test head interface assembly and base are easily separable so that the base may remain hinged to the console and a test head interface assembly adapted to test a particular printed circuit board may be removed and replaced by another test head interface assembly that is adapted to test a different printed circuit or circuits.
The base is adapted to remain on the console with a multiplicity of electrical contacts available. For connection to those associated contacts in the console, the contacts and wires in the base extending from the console connections are fitted into a plurality of multiple connectors which are secured to the base. Each of these base connectors is adapted to be made with a matching connector in the test head interface assembly being tested.